“… Delayed for two years owing to economic and budgetary volatility, the next phase of the State Armament Program (GPV), covering 2018-2025, is due to be finalized and signed by September. … [to] determine not just what Russian armed forces get next year, but the weapons and systems they will fight with into the 2030s. * * * … the real question is how much investment the Russian defense sector can actually absorb. The previous program … is underspent. … The second battle – over what will actually be included … – is ongoing. … there will be clear shifts in priority …. * * * … the Russian leadership[‘s] … new focus is on the technology of the future: smart weapons, automated command and control, recon platforms, communications, and drones …. consistent problems …. Military aspects of Russia’s faltering space program will also be addressed. * * * Russian armed forces in the Southern, Western and Arctic military districts are likely to see the greatest investments. Modernization has focused heavily on improving forces around Ukraine and the North Caucasus. It is now spreading to the broader Western military district, forces in the Baltic, and those commanded by the Northern Fleet. …”